I didn't know how to answer. Not because I didn't know, mind you, but because my son is 12. He is at that age where he is certain that he knows much more than his father.

My apparent fading eyesight, hearing and overall coolness are all factors to add to his case.

As I looked over at him as we were driving in the car, holding onto his electronic device, scrunched up in what looked like a giant, pre-teen cashew nut, I knew I had to play this one just right if I were to be successful in answering his question.

His neck pain was coming from a habitual altered posture due to a steady diet of holding and watching electronic devices. It is so prevalent, that it even has a name — text neck.

Frankly, we have been seeing this problem growing over the last few decades in our offices, and it affects young and old alike, men and women equally, and results in significant reduced work productivity, lost sleep and strained relationships. (Not tonight, honey. I have text neck!)

Text neck is a condition that everyone seems to understand. When I describe the postures and symptoms of text neck, people always nod their head knowingly and wind up pointing to the person next to them.

Text neck most commonly is a result of prolonged forward bending of the neck. It is compounded by holding an object in front of you. This results in what we call a forward head with rounded shoulders.

How long you stay in that position throughout the day directly relates to how much tension you put on your neck, as well as the muscles in your shoulders, hands and shoulder blades.

As the muscles in your back get stretched out and weak, the muscles in your chest get shortened, further exaggerating the problem. Our modern life contributes greatly to this problem, as most everything we do is directly in front of us. Think of the position we are in when we are eating, driving, on the computer and watching TV.

Ok, so how do we fix 'text neck'?

I want you to think of yourself in two parts, a front half and a back half. Our goal is to stretch out the front half, and tighten up and back half. Here is your four-step program, and you can start right now.

1. Go stand in the corner! The hard part might be finding an empty, open corner in your house. Once you find it, stand with your face in the corner, and put one hand on each wall. Your elbows should be bent. This will stretch out your chest muscles. No bouncing. The longer you gently stretch, the better.

2. Shoulder blade squeezes. No special equipment needed. Sit upright, lift your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades together and hold them for one minute. Do three in a row. Yes, I said one minute, and that's not easy.

3. Neck side bends with overpressure. Standing tall, drop your right ear to your right shoulder (yes, I heard the crack, it's OK). Now take your right hand, reach over your head, and apply some gentle overpressure to the top of your head, further stretching your head to the right. Go easy on this one, as you can overdo it. Make sure to do the same amount to your left side. Try to hold it for 30 seconds, and do 5 times each side.

4. Chin tucks. Stand against a wall, facing away from it. Without tilting your head back, try to touch the back of your head to the wall. (Yes, I know, you may not be able to do that). Now, whether or not you are able to touch the wall, nod your head down, giving yourself a double chin. Don't worry about tilting up, just go from straight forward to tilted down. I recommend 30 chin tucks after each meal. You will forget to exercise, but you won't forget to eat, right?

If any of this is confusing, email me at srapposelli@pptandfitness.com, and put 'send me those exercises' in the subject line. I will email you videos of each exercise to see the proper form. Who knows. It might even make you taller.

Stephen V. Rapposelli is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopedics and co-owner of Performance Physical Therapy and Fitness in Hockessin and Brandywine Hundred, Delaware.